CLAREMORE — Claremore High School senior Cody West was recently accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy. The JROTC member completed the application process in December and received a call Wednesday from Congressional Staffer Mary Bower who informed West of the news.
“Bower has worked with me a lot and was a great help in getting the nomination for the academy from Representative Dan Boren,” said West.
West said the application process was a long process.
“I’ve been in it since last April when I began the preliminary application,” he said. “From there I had to get letters of recommendation.”
The process included multiple questionnaires, multiple essays, in addition to an extensive full body physical and physical fitness test.
He said the most intense part of the interview was obtaining the congressional nomination at Claremore’s congressional office.
“The nominations get competitive because the academy wants to be sure the right person is getting in,” said West.
West is son to father Mel West and mother Kim Willis and has lived in Claremore since 1st grade when he moved from Verdigris. He is involved in ROTC, CHS Robotics, the National Honor Society and enjoys playing soccer.
“When my mother found out about my acceptance she didn’t know what to say. She was laughing and crying at the same time,” he said. “It was a lot of happiness.”
West said he plans to major in Aerospace Engineering while at the Naval Academy and work in naval aviation. He hopes to become a pilot upon graduation.
He was one of six students to attend a speech given by former U.S. Navy Officer and Professor of Oceanography Robert Ballard, who was the first to discover the Titanic. Ballard gave a detailed description of his entire organization and Titanic project Wednesday at RSU.
“It was a wonderful experience that gave everyone there an insight into what he does and how much this generation is going to be able to do because of the Titanic discovery,” said West.
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